Late Night (2019)
Starring Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, Max Casella, Hugh Dancy, John Lithgow, Denis O'Hare, Reid Scott, and Amy Ryan
Directed by Nisha Ganatra
Written by Mindy Kaling
The RyMickey Rating: B
Wednesday, December 04, 2019
The Happytime Murders
The Happytime Murders (2018)
Starring Melissa McCarthy, Bill Barretta, Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, and Elizabeth Banks
Directed by Brian Henson
Written by Todd Berger
The RyMickey Rating: B
Monday, November 11, 2019
Theater Review - Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Express
Adapted by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Sanford Robbins
When: Sunday, November 10, 2pm
Where: Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts
(University of Delaware, Newark, DE)
It's safe to say that I am not a huge fan of Agatha Christie. Her mysteries are too far-fetched and convoluted to really register for me. With that in mind, I came into the University of Delaware's Resident Ensemble Players' production of Murder on the Orient Express with some trepidation. While director Sandford Robbins didn't change my mind on Ms. Christie, there is still something very special going on at the Thompson Theatre for the next month.
Yes, the REP cast is typically compelling and the regulars and the guest actors play up the ludicrous nature of the piece (as directed by Robbins who seems to understand the over-the-top story). But the real stars -- and the reason to get yourself over to UD to see this production -- are the production values on display that match anything you would see on Broadway. The play opens on a bare stage, with a simple Art Deco frame surrounding it. Mere minutes later, a giant projection screen running the entire length and height of the back of the stage reveals itself, taking us into a luxurious Istanbul restaurant thanks to a lovely design by Clint Allen.
The giant projection screen isn't everything, though. Soon, the projection screen lifts up and an entire train cabin pushes itself to the front of the stage eliciting applause from the audience for the sumptuousness and level of quality that scenic designer Linda Buchanan has displayed. And then to cap things off, as the play progresses, that train cabin moves stage left and right to reveal different cabins each with their own intricate design elements.
I've already said too much as these reveals are what really make this show pop. I'll leave this review at that, only to add that the REP continues to excel at creating exquisite production details that really do compare to what you see up in New York City.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The Mule
The Mule (2018)
Starring Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Weist, Taissa Farmiga, Ignacio Serricchio, and Andy Garcia
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Written by Nick Schenk
The RyMickey Rating: C-
Monday, October 28, 2019
Adrift
Adrift (2018)
Starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
Written by Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell, and David Branson Smith
The RyMickey Rating: B
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Gemini Man
Gemini Man (2019)
Starring Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong, Ralph Brown, and Linda Emond
Directed by Ang Lee
Written by David Benioff, Billy Ray, and Darren Lemke
The RyMickey Rating: C+
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Secret Obsession
Secret Obsession (2019)
Starring Brenda Song, Mike Vogel, Ashley Scott, and Dennis Haysbert
Directed by Peter Sullivan
Written by Kraig Wenman and Peter Sullivan
The RyMickey Rating: D
Monday, October 21, 2019
The Laundromat
The Laundromat (2019)
Starring Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, David Schwimmer, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeffrey Wright, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Nonso Anozie, Will Forte, Chris Parnell, James Cromwell, Melissa Rauch, Larry Wilmore, Robert Patrick, Rosalind Chao, and Sharon Stone
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Scott Z. Burns
The RyMickey Rating: C-
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
The Seagull
The Seagull (2018)
Starring Annette Bening, Saoirse Ronan, Corey Stoll, Elisabeth Moss, Mare Winningham, Jon Tenney, Glenn Fleshler, Michael Zegen, Billy Howle, and Brian Dennehy
Directed by Michael Mayer
Written by Stephen Karam
The RyMickey Rating: B
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Ma
Ma (2019)
Starrring Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers, Corey Fogelmanis, McKaley Miller, Gianni Paolo, Dante Brown, and Luke Evans
Directed by Tate Taylor
Written by Scotty Landes
The RyMickey Rating: D
Friday, October 11, 2019
Theater Review - August: Osage County
August: Osage County
Written by Tracy Letts
Directed by Jackson Gay
Where: Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts
(University of Delaware, Newark, DE)
When: Sunday, September 29
Photo by Evan Krape
The University of Delaware's Resident Ensemble Players opens up their 2019-20 season with a fantastic production of Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning play August: Osage County. I saw this play back in 2010 at the somewhat large Forrest Theater in Philadelphia as part of its national touring company and my review shows that I was actually pretty disenchanted with the piece, finding it over-the-top and not worthy of the numerous awards that were heaped upon it.
Perhaps being removed from the hype mellowed me or maybe it was the more intimate theater at the REP or maybe it was simply that the REP ensemble does a fantastic job interpreting the piece -- whatever the difference (or the combination of all of them), this version of August: Osage County gave me a better appreciation for the darkly comic, warped, yet realistic family soap opera at its (lengthy three hour-and-twenty-minute) center. The REP's Kathleen Pirkl Tague's acerbic matriarch Violet Weston is certainly the centerpiece of the story, but kudos must also be given to the REP's Elizabeth Heflin as Violet's daughter Barbara for being a nice levelheaded counterpoint. It's great to see these two veteran REP members play off of each other with Letts' witty banter. Guest actors Izabel Mar, Karen Alvarado, Bridget Flanery, and particularly the absolutely hilarious Angela Iannone (who conjures up a perfect mix of Cloris Leachman and Vicki Lawrence's Mama from Mama's Family) add much depth to the piece. Notice that I've only mentioned women -- this is a strongly female-driven piece and although I certainly have nothing negative to say about the men in the ensemble, they're left in the dust here by the very nature of Letts' work.
Excellent work, as always, on the design front from the REP with a particular shout-out to scenic designer Brittany Vasta's three-story set which towers over the Weston family much like their family secrets always hover over them weighing them down. Overall, a great start to the REP season and congratulations on giving this reviewer a different perspective on a play he thought he didn't like.
Excellent work, as always, on the design front from the REP with a particular shout-out to scenic designer Brittany Vasta's three-story set which towers over the Weston family much like their family secrets always hover over them weighing them down. Overall, a great start to the REP season and congratulations on giving this reviewer a different perspective on a play he thought he didn't like.
Tuesday, October 01, 2019
Operation Finale
Operation Finale (2018)
Starring Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley, Lior Raz, Mélanie Laurent, Nick Kroll, Joe Alwyn, and Haley Lu Richardson
Directed by Chris Weitz
Monday, September 30, 2019
Where Is Kyra?
Where Is Kyra? (2018)
Starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kiefer Sutherland
Directed by Andrew Dosunmu
Written by Darci Picoult
The RyMickey Rating: B+
Sunday, September 29, 2019
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
Starring Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Eugenio Derbez, Matthew Macfadyen, Richard E. Grant, Misty Copeland, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman
Directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston
Written by Ashleigh Powell
The RyMickey Rating: C-
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Love, Simon
Love, Simon (2018)
Starring Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Duhamel, Logan Miller, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Tony Hale, Natasha Rothwell, Miles Heizer, and Jennifer Garner
Directed by Greg Berlanti
Written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger
Click here for my Letterboxd review
The RyMickey Rating: B+
Click here for my Letterboxd review
The RyMickey Rating: B+
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Snowball Express
Snowball Express (1972)
Starring Dean Jones, Nancy Olsen, Harry Morgan, Keenan Wynn, Mary Wickes, and Johnny Whitaker
Directed by Norman Tokar
Written by Don Tait, Jim Parker, and Arnold Margolin
The RyMickey Rating: C-
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Serenity
Serenity (2019)
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Jason Clarke, Jeremy Strong, and Djimon Hounsou
Directed by Steven Knight
Written by Steven Knight
The RyMickey Rating: D
Monday, September 23, 2019
Life of the Party
Life of the Party (2018)
Starring Melissa McCarthy, Molly Gordon, Gillian Jacobs, Jessie Ennis, Adria Arjona, Luke Benward, Heidi Gardner, Maya Rudolph, Matt Walsh, Julie Bowen, Stephen Root, Jacki Weaver, and Debby Ryan
Directed by Ben Falcone
Written by Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy
The RyMickey Rating: C+
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Bel Canto
Bel Canto (2018)
Starring Julianne Moore, Ken Watanabe, Sebastian Koch, Ryo Kase, and Tenoch Huerta
Directed by Paul Weitz
Written by Paul Weitz and Anthony Weintraub
The RyMickey Rating: D
Thursday, September 12, 2019
The Happiest Millionaire
The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
Starring Fred MacMurray, Tommy Steele, Greer Garson, Gladys Cooper, Geraldine Page, Hermione Baddeley, John Davidson, and Lesley Ann Warren
Directed by Norman Tokar
Written by A.J. Carothers
The RyMickey Rating: B-
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